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Rhubarb Spiced Coffee Cake

Winters are great as it brings along the wonderful spice aromas into my baking. Cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and allspice are common spices often used in Christmas cookies and cakes throughout the cooler months. However Spring and Summer are the best, because with these seasons comes the burst of sweet, juicy, tangy, succulent and colorful plethora of fruit and berries.

It seems our weather just cannot decide. Should winter be banished once for all to allow the warm rays of Spring sun to engulf us or if it still requires the dull, wet and brrrr-cold days to keep us at home wrapped up in cozy blankets, sipping on warming teas or cocoa.

And because the weather cannot decide - I was unable to decide in which direction I wanted to take my cake for the latest edition of the Monthly Mingle Spring Cakes. I knew I wanted to showcase rhubarb in my cake creation because early Spring is always about rhubarb to me. As April begins to roll around I can hardly wait to get my hands on the first of the rhubarb. To me seeing rhubarb at the markets is the first sign that Spring has arrived.

Typically rhubarb is paired with strawberries but there are so many great and innovating ways to use this vegetable.

As I really need to use up my massive collection of spices, collected from all over the world with love and care, before we move I considered the various spices I could pair rhubarb with. I did not have to look far - my persimmon spice cake offered me the perfect basis for my experiment.

An aromatic blend of ground coriander, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and ginger gives this cake an incredible delicious flavor very reminiscent of Lebkuchen, maple syrup adds the perfect moistness and earthy sweetness and the rhubarb complements the cake with its puckery sourness.

Sift flour, baking powder and spices into a bowl. In the food processor, beat together the 140g butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Pour in the maple syrup and beat for a further minute or two.

Bring water to a boil in a kettle. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 200 ml of boiling water, then gradually pour into the spout of the food processor.

Add the flour-spice mixture into the food processor and pulse a few times until just incorporated. Pour in the eggs and mix briefly.

Pour the cake batter into a bowl, then fold in the rhubarb using a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform and bake for 50-60 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should feel firm and when press it should spring back.

Cool cake in the form for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Unlike other spice cakes, this one should be eaten within 3-4. Due to the rhubarb it won’t keep fresh much longer.

The cake was an incredible mix of rich aromas and delicious flavors. I would use more rhubarb however, the next time I make this as although the flavor of rhubarb was very much present, it could have done with a bit more of zesty tartness. I think increasing the rhubarb amount to 300 - 350 g would do it. Due to the maple syrup the cake is not overly sweet but rather adds a deep earthy character, keeping it moist at the same time. Soeren has been taking a lot of the cake to school the past couple of days and really enjoys the flavor combinations. Tom and my colleagues too found the idea of the mixed spices and rhubarb a great combination and have been indulging in the cake.

A lot of colorful and great Spring cakes are being submitted and it seems the mingle is going to be a grand celebration of strawberries, pineapples, lemons, raspberries and other tasty flavors. Maybe you will find time to join us with one of your Spring cake creations. See you there!

I know exactly what you mean about the weather! Over here it is supposed to be summer, and for a while the heat was blazing, and then yesterday there was a typhoon! Today it's sunny again! So I never know if I want a warm bowl of soup or some frozen yogurt! Hehe :) I'd have this delicious looking cake anytime though!

SO much better than my lame suggestion. Wish I could have a slice of this for breakfast. If I can get past the current exhaustion, I'd love to make a cake for the mingle. Only time and the little one can tell. Oh and Congrats on winning the Click Contest! Yeay You!

I've made this today with sooo many changes that it's barely recognisable! I'm wheat intolerant, so have used a half sorghum flour, half millet flour blend with xanthan gum, used honey instead of maple syrup, low fat margarine instead of butter, sweetener instead of sugar (I had no sugar!) and arrowroot instead of eggs (no eggs either!). Despite this, it's come out as a subtly spiced cake, like a gingerbread cake and it is yummy!! Some of my pieces of rhubarb were a bit bitter, not sure how to remedy that. And my cake was obviously much more crumbly than yours looks, but successful!!!

I hope things settle down for you Meeta. Have been visiting your blogs for last 12-18 months and I love reading them. I am an Indian working in London for last 4 years with my husband and a 10 year old son. Completely relate to what you are saying and hence decided to drop a line. Do what your heart says. Its such a big dilemma in life.For us the question is whether we continue in UK or we go back to Mumbai. Not sure when will we be able to answer that

My father is a huge fan of rhubarb spiced coffee cake and I always try to bake one for him whenever we see my parents. He has yet to be fully blown away by any of the recipes i've tried. Simplicity is key, and yours looks perfect! Can't wait to try it. thank you for shearing your post.

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...